Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces on Jan. 9 that the U.S. will no longer actively restrict official contacts with Taiwan
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, will visit Taiwan, following the announcement that the U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, announced on Jan. 9 that he would lift self-imposed restrictions on U.S. relations with Taiwan. In an article published by Taiwan’s Shangpao newspaper, “China is most angry with Pompeo for saying “Taiwanese counterparts,” author Li Haozhong noted that Pompeo called Taiwan’s official institutions “counterparts” ( The article also points out that China protested in May 2019 against the use of “counterparts” when the U.S. referred to Taiwan, as it did have the intention of specifically recognizing the status of the country.
The article says that many countries have used “Taiwan counterparts” to express their interaction with Taiwan in the past, for example, when Slovenia received donations of Taiwanese masks to fight the epidemic, the Prime Minister himself expressed his gratitude to “Taiwan counterparts”. For example, when Slovenia received donations of masks from Taiwan to fight the epidemic, the Prime Minister himself expressed his gratitude to “Taiwan counterparts. As for the United States, the series of official “reciprocal counterparts” to Taiwan’s lifting of the ban is a substantive advance that will have a profound impact on Taiwan’s national status (positioning), not only externally, but also internally.
China-Europe Investment Agreement and Forced Labor in China
In the article “What’s Happening Behind the Accelerated Passage of the China-EU Investment Agreement” published by Hong Kong’s Tuan Media, author Zhang Mengyuan argues that while the geopolitical backdrop of trade frictions between China and the U.S., the interests of China and Europe have converged, elevating the accelerated negotiations of the agreement (CAI) to a politicized agenda. the CAI will not change the EU’s view of China as a long-term systemic competitor, only that both China and Europe are Both sides are trying to reap short-term political rewards from an agreement that has been given too much meaning.
Both China and Europe are trying to reap short-term political rewards from the investment agreement
The article points out that the existence of forced labor in the Xinjiang re-education camps was one of the issues the European Parliament focused on in relation to China, even though the Chinese government denied it. China eventually agreed to “continue and sustain its efforts” to ratify the two fundamental norms of the International Labor Organization (ILO), namely the Forced Labor Convention (C029) and the Abolition of Forced Labor Convention (C105). The EC sees China’s pledge to “continue its efforts” as a victory, but it believes that China’s non-legally binding commitment to the ILO leaves itself open and that the exact wording will be crucial to the European Parliament’s subsequent approval of the CEIBS. There have already been high-profile calls from MPs for a binding timetable for signing a ban on forced labor.
EU unites against China, while each has its own agenda
Taiwan’s Wind Media published an article, “China-EU Investment Agreement Stirs U.S.-Europe Relations,” in which the author, Liu Danian, argues that the China-EU Investment Agreement will make investment regulations for foreigners from mainland China more liberal, transparent and institutionalized; it will benefit not only EU companies but also other foreign companies, so there is really no need to overinterpret it.
The article says that although the EU supports joint checks and balances with mainland China, it must ensure that the EU’s economic interests are not at the mercy of the United States, which has no reason to overstep its bounds and criticize the China-EU investment agreement. The future Biden will not be as Trump to allies hegemony and every cent, the United States will not abuse domestic trade law, such as 201 or 232 provisions, the implementation of trade protection measures on allies, in favor of mutual cooperation. However, with the United States as the axis, the United States first as the starting point of the anti-China position will not change, of course, the EU will not accept all. In addition, the future of the United States how to resolve the trade disputes between the two sides, but also the United States and Europe can smoothly cooperate with another key to resist China.
The Great Search Subverts the Basic Law of Hong Kong
On January 6, participants in Hong Kong’s democratic primary election were subjected to a major police raid for subversion of state power.
Hong Kong’s Apple Daily published an article, “One Big Manhunt, Three Major Subversions,” in which author Li Ping argued that as the U.S. Congress confirms the results of the presidential election, Hong Kong’s national security police are conducting a massive manhunt for participants in the democratic primary election for the Legislative Council, which is undoubtedly the greatest irony of democracy with Chinese Communist characteristics. The quadrennial presidential election in the United States is for the people to use their votes to peacefully subvert or maintain a political party in power. On the contrary, the CCP can only use the tools of dictatorship and trumped-up charges to suppress the democratic camp in Hong Kong, not only to save face from last year’s postponement of the Legislative Council election, but also to try to eliminate all competitive democratic candidates in a single net to pave the way for future elections. Section 39 of the Legislative Council Ordinance stipulates that a person sentenced to imprisonment for more than three months, regardless of whether the sentence is suspended, shall not run for election within five years.
The author says that the primary election raid also reverses the political system of Hong Kong, which is traced in the Basic Law. Forcing the Chief Executive to assume political responsibility by vetoing the budget is a constitutional power given to legislators by the Basic Law. Shouldn’t the National Security Police go and search for the Drafting Committee and the NPC deputies who passed the Basic Law back then? It has long been the norm for the Basic Law to be distorted under the will of the Emperor, that is, the law.
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